The union representing 55,000 education employees in Ontario reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government on Sunday to avoid the strike planned for Monday.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said the deal is no different from what the province offered last week before the union issued a five-day strike notice.

This withdrawal, which would have come after two weeks following another week, was planned because the union said it was trying to secure employment guarantees.

Laura Walton, president of the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) in CUPE, also said there was no movement in the end on that front during the talks over the weekend, adding: "As a mother, I don’t like this deal, but as OSBCU president, I understand why this deal is on the table. I think it is insufficient and I think it is terrible to live in a world that does not see the need to provide services to the children who need them. But we will always put workers first, and we will always put our students first, and that is why there will be no strike tomorrow."

Walton also said the provincial government "is not willing to budge any further" when it comes to allocating funds for new services and employment guarantees in schools.